It seems that most people in the world are completely unaware
that they are surrounded on all sides by Pitman's Shorthand. It's
everywhere. You and I can see it!
Cricket club grounds gate in Sevenoaks
In the middle Tee Dee Kay Gay. Outside is L (mostly up) Ler
(always down), Ar Rer, Ef Vee, Ish Zhee.
Sight screen in cricket club grounds at
Sevenoaks
In the middle, Pee Bee Chay Jay and Ray (always up). Outside is Em Imp,
En Ing, Ith Thee, Ess Zee.
Pitman's paperclips
They are all in here somewhere: Way, Yay, Hay (up) and Hay (down),
and a month's supply of: with when what would
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Tonbridge Castle curtain wall
Some clarification is needed regarding Chay Jay and Ray. Tonbridge
Castle buttress is showing Chay Jay which is written downwards and is
about 30° from the vertical – this reduces the travel of the pen in
a backwards direction and also produces a reasonable angle when
joined with Ray. Orpington Cycle Path shows Ray (always written
upwards) at a shallower angle, thus avoiding pushing on the nib and
digging into the paper. The bike is travelling leftwards, as a
reminder to return quickly to the start of the next line on the pad.
Practice words: cherry, charity, jury, Jarrow – rich, ridge, rage,
region, register, ratchet
Garden gate hinge
Another example of Chay
Rochester Castle curtain wall
L normally goes up, and Ar always goes down. Unlike the Castle gate,
there is no angle at the top, it is all smooth.
Practice words: lower, lair, lure
River Medway, Tonbridge
Facility drills, done thoughtfully and not mindlessly, are the key
to success, and here the sun itself has written paid, paid, paid,
paid on the steps leading down the River Medway in Tonbridge. Or
maybe it's a warning about playing near the river – deep, deep,
deep, deep. You should space your outlines out a lot more than the
shadows have done.
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Who lives here? Mr P R L Chay?
Just a little reminder to always have supply of lined shorthand pads
at the ready, with good quality smooth blemish-free paper.
Rock-A-Nore cliffs at Hastings (more
at Hastings shorthand reading page)
If you have to use a thick chunky pad, lay it on the table opened
half and half, so your writing hand is not constantly falling off
the cliff edge. It is better to avoid the chunky ones if you can.
Kent countryside
Have you ruled your "safety margins" on every page? Do
them all in advance because, like the motorist, you cannot do it on
your high speed journey down the page. Save time by doing this in
odd minutes that would otherwise be wasted. This gives you the
chance tear out any pages with marks or blemishes, and also ensures
that no pages are stuck together. These are essential safety
measures and not a luxury. After dictation, you can enter notes and
corrections during your first read-through. When transcribing (if
not an exam) red-pen the errors and look them up at the first
opportunity.
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River Medway at Tonbridge
If they had closed the curl, this would say either civil or soufflé.
Erosion is obvious on this old gateway at Orpington Priory in Kent
Tonbridge Castle iron gates
Almost shorthand, but more like a hand-loosening
exercise, practising beautiful flowing curves and just lightly
touching the paper. Was the blacksmith a would-be Pitmanite?
Underpass mural, Bishops Way,
Maidstone
Flowing outlines
obviously inspired by the River Medway which runs alongside, but
could it have been a volunteer shorthand student earning some cash
to buy that fancy fountain pen?
My garden
Don't get rusty. Practise curves and circles of all types, to
counteract any tendency towards heavy-handedness.
Tonbridge Town Lock winding gear
The shorthand curves change into each other when
someone turns this handle. They are unaware of this, but you know,
of course.
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Weathervane at Sevenoaks Vine Cricket Club
The cricketer is
alert and ready to deal with anything that comes his way, at
whatever speed. Looking closely at the weathervane, the ball is on
the ground, having failed to reach the bat, and it is obviously
doing its best impression of dot "the".
Tonbridge swans
Every time you see a swan, you will remember what your efforts are
aiming for – smooth effortless unruffled gliding, all the while
paddling at ten to the dozen beneath the surface!
Nylon cord
You are on your way to beautiful legible shorthand, which will
unfortunately look like this "bird's nest" of cord or spaghetti to your friends who spent their
time on less fruitful pursuits. Advantage to you! Be generous and
teach them some simple shorthand.
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